NBA Playoff Recaps: Heat & Spurs Advance

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Brooklyn Busts Again Late Leading to a Miami Victory 
This series did not really feel like it shouldn't have ended in five games. The one we are talking about below was a definite five-game series. Brooklyn should have won one of the last two games, but they choked it away down the stretch leading to the Miami Heat winning both games advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for their fourth straight year. Brooklyn had Miami for the entire basketball game. More so than Game 4, there wasn't LeBron James dominating out there and Joe Johnson having a massive game. Brooklyn had an eight point lead with under five minutes only to have Miami go on a rampant 12-0 run which included the Nets missing nine straight baskets. Ray Allen whose the grim reaper and the President of Fountain of Youth society hit the go-ahead three.  Brooklyn had puzzling late-game efforts leading to Miami's victory.

Other than the comeback, this was a throwback game for Miami.  Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had a combined 57 points with 29 points from James and 28 points from Wade.  The 28 point total is the highest of the postseason for Wade and the first time Wade scored 25 or more points since a Feburary 3rd game against Detroit. I don't know if this is one of those blue moon things, or something to keep an eye on in the pending matchup between Washington or Indiana. Weirdly enough, I think Miami would prefer Indiana over the Wizards.

Young Spurs Help Put Away Portland 
San Antonio is thanking their lucky stars this series is over on Wednesday and their next opponent might play until Saturday. The reason isn't the typical 'old age' stuff we hear with the Spurs rather Tony Parker hurt his hamstring in the first half of the game. This is Parker's second injury of the postseason as he battled an ankle injury during the Dallas series. Given the point guards in the following series whether it be Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook or Los Angeles's Chris Paul, Parker needs to be close to full strength therefore this is something to monitor for San Antonio moving forward in these playoffs.  But it was the young guns of the Spurs that put away Portland in five with 22 point efforts from each Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. Both dazzled in the game for San Antonio as the Spurs head back to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year.

Charlie.